I was born a Yankees fan and began really paying attention in the early 1990s. I can remember watching the Yankees on WPIX and seeing the double play combination of Mike Gallego and Spike Owen (I don't know why this memory sticks out so much, they didn't even play that many games together).

Those weren't great days for the Yankees. I didn't know it, but I was fortunate because the team had a few truly great players developing in their farm system. One of them was Mariano Rivera.

As expected, Mariano Rivera III has decided to return to school rather than sign with the Yankees. The team used a late round pick to draft the son of their former closer. It isn't uncommon for players to return to school, especially later round selections. Bryan Hoch of MLB.com reported the news.

On August 7, the MVP Foundation will be honoring Mariano Rivera prior to the Trenton Thunder game that day. The Thunder are the Double-A affiliate of the Yankees.

According to the Thunder, Rivera will throw out the first pitch and the MVP Foundation will present him with a check for the Mariano Rivera Foundation. You can buy tickets online - if you use the code MVP, $3 of your purchase will be donated to the Mariano Rivera Foundation.

The Jordan brand just released a really great tribute ad to Derek Jeter, titled RE2PECT. It features an assortment of people tipping their hat to the retiring Yankees captain in resapect. This includes Mariano Rivera, who is seated at a table in a restaurant with Jorge Posada, Andy Pettitte, Tino Martinez and Joe Torre. Watch below.

Brazilian soccer legend Pelé teamed up with Mariano Rivera to serve sandwiches at a Subway in Rio Dio Janero. According to the Post, they were trying to cheer up soccer fans in the country, after their team fell short in the World Cup. The AP has a photo of the pair.

Delta held an event today at JFK airport where Mariano Rivera played air hockey against basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for charity. The match was officiated by hockey great Mark Messier. Check out some photos below.

It is the third and final day of the 2014 MLB Draft and a familiar name was drafted by the Yankees: Mariano Rivera. To be more specific, it was Mariano Rivera III, often referred to as Mariano Rivera, Jr., pitcher from Iona. He was recently profiled by SB Nation.

The Yankees took him in round 29, with the 872nd pick. You never know how these things will work out. He could sign with the Yankees or it could opt to go back to school. At any rate, it's cool that the Yankees selected him. We haven't won a World Series without a Mariano Rivera on our team since 1978.